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IndyCar: Franchitti honoured in series swansong

By LJ Hutchins

Thursday, January 17th, 2008

IndyCar’s 2007 series winner Dario Franchitti has won an award celebrating his time in the sport.

Franchitti, who won the 2007 Indianapolis 500 and is about to start a new career as a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, was honoured alongside 14 other racing heroes at the American Automobile Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association annual get-together in Indianapolis.

The AARWBA also bestowed honors on its ‘First Team’, a mythical line-up of 2007’s best racers voted on by members of the American auto racing press and media.

The top five included Franchitti, NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and Champ Car World Series’ Sebastien Bourdais who earned his fourth consecutive title last year and is now driving for Toro Rosso in F1.

Franchitti, who will drive in 2008 for Chip Ganassi, said his only regret is that he won’t be able to defend his Indy 500 championship in May: “The timing is impossible and, at the same time, you can’t come back here and be competitive in a one-off deal because the competition is just too tough.

“And I need to do everything I can to be competitive in a stock car. It’s going to be a big learning experience.”